Easel construction



June 4, 1935. H. M. FANCHER 2,003,482

EASEL CONSTRUCTION Filed June 23, 1934 gig i INVENTOR 4 Elam lzancie'r Patented June 4, 1935 UNITED STATES EASEL ooNsrRUorIoN Howard M. Fancher, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to The Rochester Folding Box 00., Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 23, 1934, Serial Noyv'szass' 1 12 Claims.

This invention relates to an easel such as is used by artists, illustrators, and the like, and by children who wish to draw.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, compact easel of few parts, easy and inexpensive to construct, and light in weight so that it may be readily transported from place to place.

Another object is the provision of such an easel so designed and constructed thatit may be'readily,

collapsed and set up. 7

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain, improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of .the specification.

In the drawing: V

Fig. 1 is aperspective view of an easel con structed inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention; V,

Fig. 2 isa front view of the same in erected position;

- Fig. 3 is a plan thereof, and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section taken substantially on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

The same reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

The easel in its preferred form comprises a wardly at I6 to a score line H, at which itis bent'to extend downwardly at I 8 toanother score line I9. From the score line I 9 the strip extends obliquely rearwardlyat 20 to the panel I2, where it is again bent at2l extending downwardly a short distance to the score line 22 and thence outwardly again at 23 substantially parallel to the portion 20. The portion 23' is somewhat,

longer than the portion 29 and projects outwardly materially beyond the score line I9, as shown in Fig. 4, where it'is scored at 24, extends upwardly a short distance at 25, is again scored at 26, then extends rearwardly at 21 andis doubled back-upon itself at 28 to' pass forwardly once more at 29 to its final terminal edge 30'; The strip thus scored and folded is held in proper position by suitable fastening means such as the bolts 35.

passing through the portion I6 of the easel strip" and through the panel I2, and the bolts 36 passing through the easel strip between the score lines 21' and 22 and through the panel l2, and the bolts 37 passing through the portions 20, 23, 27, and29 of the strip. It can be readily seen from Fig. 4 that when fastened in this manner, they strip provides a rigid and effective construction in which the'up'per surface of the portion 21. forms a suitable shelf on which'the lower edge of a pad or 'sheet'of paper may rest, and the portion I8 provides aninclined hacking portion against which the sheet or pad maylie while it is being drawn or painted upon; The portions 20, 23, 21, and 29 may be'collectively, called a base portion,l since they form a base for holding the lower edge of the backing portion I8 in proper position.

Preferably the shelf provided by the parts 21 and 29 is suificiently wide so that variousfdraw ing or painting supplies may be placed on this shelf in addition to' the pad or sheet of paper which stands upon it. For example, a suitable box or container 40 may be either loosely placed on or securely fastened to the shelf, for holding crayons, paints, or any other suitable supplies; If the box 40 is'fastened to the shelf, a space is preferably left between the box. and the inclined surface I8, as shown inFig.4, so that the bottom edge of a p'a'd'or sheet of paper may enter this space, and, the container #10 forms an abutment preventing the bottomoflthe paper from accidentally sliding forwardly off of the shelf.

Both the panels l2and I3, andalso the strip I8, 28, 23, etc., are preferably made of fiber board, and it is found that excellent results are obtained by the use, for both of these sheets, of corrugated fiber board'of the type in which both surfaces of the fiber board have smooth facing sheets over the corrugations. The sheet from which the panels I2 and I3 are made preferably has the corrugations. extending vertically, so that they are: parallel to the score lines II. Q

If desired, any part of either of the sheets may be coated with a suitable compound to pro-,- vide a chalk taking or blackboard surface. Also, any suitable decorations may be applied to any part of either of the sheets, as for example, the decoration indicated diagrammatically 'by the panels 50 printed or painted on the sections I2 and l3. Y An advantage'of using fiber board is that pins, nails, or the like can readily pierce the board at any desirdpoint. Thus, for example, a pin 52 may be placed wherever desired on one of the panels, to serve for holding any drawing implements such as the triangle 53 when not in use, and a tablet or package of drawing paper 54 may be secured to one of the panels as by means of pins 55. If desired, suitable means may be employed for holding the wing portions l3 in proper'open position. For. example, a cross piece 60, made of a strip of fiber board, may extend through the space between the members 20 and 23 and have its ends 6| turned at an angle so as to lie along the surfaces of the wing walls i3 and be fastened to them by bolts 62. Bolts 63 may alsob'e'employed to fasten the strip 60 to the members 20 and 23 if desired, though usually this is unnecessary.

Conjointly with the holding member 60-, or as a substitute therefor, a holding or brace member 10 may be used, which acts also as a floor. The ends H of the member 10 are turned up to'lieagainst the inner or preferably the outer faces of the walls l3, and are secured thereto as by bolts 12. This member 70 s'teadie's and strengthens the whole structure, and has the further advantange of forming a protective bottom or floor for catching paint or other articles accidentally dropped by the person using the easel, so that the rug or other fioor covering on which the easel is placed will not be damaged. f

Neither form of brace or holding member interferes with collapsing the easel, for the bolts may be removed or replaced in a moment. Both forms of holding member may be made of fiber board of the same'kind of which the panels l2 and I3 are made, or of any othersuitable material. The easel may obviously be made of various sizes to accommodate it either for children or adults, and'it is seen that the construction is extremely economical since all of the'principal parts are madeof fiber board. It is light and compact, and maybe easily moved from place to place.

If it is desired to collapse the structure still farther than can be done by turning the parts I2 and l3 into a common plane, then complete collapsing may be accomplished by removing the bolts 35, 36,and 31, the nuts of which are sufliciently loose so that they can be unscrewed simply by the fingers without the use of any tools. When these bolts are removed, the'strip forming the parts I 8, 20, 23, etc., may be unfolded and refolded into a more compact fiat shape.

While one embodiment of the invention has 7 been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive idea may be carried out in a number of ways. This application is therefore not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to cover all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. 'An easel comprising two sectionsjof sheet material hingedly connected to each other and adapted to be placed at an angleto each other to form a structure capable of standing upright on a supporting surface, and an inclined member secured to one of said sections to form a support for a sheet of paper, said inclined member being of less widththan said section to which it is secured and being supported wholly by said section independently'of the other section.

2. An easel comprising two sections of sheet material hingedly connected to each otherand adapted to be placed at anangle to each other to form a structure capable of standing upright on a supporting surface, a member attached near its upper edge to one of said sections and extending thence obliquely downwardly and outwardly to form an easel surface, and a member extending outwardly from said one of said sections to and beyond the lower edge of said first member to hold said lower edge and to form a shelf adjacent said lower edge. 7

3. The combination with a panel, of a piece of sheet material attached at one point to said panel and extending thence obliquely downwardly and to s'aid'p aiiel, and thence again outwardly and "projecting outwardly beyond said downwardly extending portion to provide a supporting shelf adjacent the'bottom of said downwardly extending portion. v

4. An easel comprising an upright member, and a strip of scored and folded sheet material secured to said upright member, said strip including a backing portion extending obliquely with its upper end relatively close to said upright member and its lower end spaced asubstantial distance from said upright member, and a base portion extending from said upright member outwardly tothe bottom of said backing portion and projecting beyond said bottom to provide a shelf.

5. A construction according to claim 4, further including detachable means connecting said backing portionto said upright member, and other detachable means connecting said base portion to Said upright member. 4 7

6. 'An easel comprising a sheet of fiber board scored along two substantially vertical spaced lines to provide three panels which may be bent at an angle to each other to form a structure capable of standing upright on a 'supporting'surface, a second sheet of fiber board scored and folded to provide an oblique backing portion having its upper end relatively close to the central one of said three panels and its lower end substantially spaced from said central panel, a base portion connected to said lower endand extending iriwardly therefrom to said central panel, and a shelf portion extending outwardly from said lower end, and means connecting said second sheet of fiber board to said central panel of said first sheet of fiber board. v

7. A construction according to claim 6, further including a container secured to said shelf portion and spaced outwardly from said lower end of said backing portion.

8. An easel comprising a central section and two wing sections of sheet material hingedly connected to -each'oth'er and adapted to be placed at an angle to each other to form a structure capable of standing upright on a'suppo'rting' surface an inclined member secured to said central section to form a support for a sheet of paper, said inclined member being of a width not greater than that of said central'section and being supported from said central section independently of said wing sections, and a member extending between and secured to both of saidwing sections 'to hold them in predetermined position relative to each other.

9. An' easel comprising a central section and two wing sections of sheet material hingedly connected to each other and adapted to be placed at an angle to each other to form a structure capable of of said central section and being supported from said central section independently of said wing sections, and a floor member secured adjacent opposite ends to said wing sections to hold them in predetermined position.

10. An easel comprising a central section and two wing sections of sheet material hingedly connected to each other and adapted to be placed at an angle to each other to form a structure capable of standing upright on a supporting surface, an inclined member secured to said central section to form a support for a sheet of paper, said inclinedmember being of a width not greater than that of said central section and being supported from said central section independently of said wing sections, and a floor member having upturned edges secured to said wing sections to hold them in predetermined position.

11. An easel comprising a central section and two wing sections of sheet material hingedly connected to each other and adapted to be placed at an angle to each other to form a structure capable of standing upright on a supporting surface, an inclined member secured to said central section to form a support for a sheet of paper, said inclined member being of a width not greater than that of said central section and being supported from said central section independently of said wing sections, and a member extending between said wing sections at approximately the elevation of the bottom of said inclined member and secured to both of said wing sections to hold them in predetermined position.

12. A construction according to claim 6, further including a member extending between and secured to two of said panels to hold them in predetermined position.

HOWARD M. FANCHZER. 

